A partial list of the Spiders
of Kaweah Oaks Preservebased on notes kept by Marjorie Moody,with additional comments by Brian Carroll

The 54 numbered species on this list come from
records of verifiedidentifications, kept by Marjorie Moody, Tulare
County's leadingauthority on spiders. However, many common spiders
for our area havenever had a verified collection from the Preserve.
Therefore, anasterisk (*) rather than a number indicates a
spider that wouldreasonably be expected to inhabit Kaweah Oaks
Preserve, but has not yethad a verified sighting. The numbers given after
family names indicatelocation in Notes for the Collection and Identification
of the Spidersof California, by Don J. Boe, 1989.

Note: all measurements of spiders are for body
only, without legs.

M Y G A L O
M O R P H A E

ANTRODIAETIDAE F1

[ ]* These are folding door trap-door spiders.
Members of the genusAliatypus are often found in uncultivated
soils of the San JoaquinValley. Males wander in search of females after
heavy rains. Femalesare only found by digging.

MECICOBOTHRIIDAE F2

[ ]* Small (8-18mm) sheet-web weaving tarantulas.
Members of the genusMegahexura have been found throughout
California, under leaf litter orplant debris on the ground.

THERAPHOSIDAE F3

[ ]* Various species of these ‘typical tarantulas’
have been taken innearby areas.

DIPLURIDAE F4

[ ]* ‘Funnel-web tarantulas’; the upper fourth
of the burrow is lined withsilk which spreads out from the burro’s mouth.
Calisoga
longitarsus(Simon) has been found in Tulare Co.

CTENIZIDAE F5B.1

[ ]* Two ‘Trap-door spiders,’ Bothriocyrtum
californicum (O.P. Cambridge) and Hebestatis theventi (Simon)
have been found in Tulare Co., building tubular burrows in clay soils.
Insides are lined with silk and the opening closed with a snug
fitting cork-type lid. Males wander
during the winter.

A R A N E O
M O R P H A E

FILISTATIDAE F7

[ ]* The local Kukulcania
sp. is commonly found with its lacy funnel-webleading back into knot-holes or cracks on weathered
fence posts.Females dark brown to black, to 19mm. Males yellowish
tan with longpedipalps, to 9mm. Males are often mistaken for
Violin Spiders.OECOBIIDAE F8

[ ]* The tiny (under 3mm) ‘Base-board Spider’
Oecobius
navus (Lucas) is common throughout Tulare Co. Under stones or in
cracks of bark, constructing a very slight web nest, they are light colored
and run very fast when disturbed, making them difficult to get a good look
at.Unusual among spiders, they eat ants.

ULOBORIDAE F9

[ ] 1. Uloborus
diversus (Marx) although drab in color, is an easy spider to identify
in the field, hanging upside down in a delicately-lacy, nearly-horizontal
web; its long front legs decorated with tufts of ‘hair’ at the joints.
Uloborids are unique among our spider fauna for having no poison
glands at all.

DICTYNIDAE F10

[ ] 2. Dictyna reticulata (Gertsch &
Ivie) is a small spider that builds anirregular web at the tip of weed stalks or the
branches of bushes, or less commonly beside stones or in leaf-litter. Usually
mature during spring and summer.

AMAUROBIIDAE F11

[ ] * Various Amaurobiids, such as Amaurobius
tulare (Leech) are foundTulare Co., often under bark or decaying plant
material on the ground.To the naked eye they closely resemble members
of the Agelenidae, butthey differ significantly in several microscopic
organs.

SCYTODIDAE F12

[ ] * Various Scytodes spp. are found Tulare
Co. These ‘Spitting Spiders’spit a gummy substance over their prey, with
an oscillating motion,tacking them to the surface they are standing
upon. Scytodids have anunusually high ‘forehead’ (carapace) due to the
large poison glands intheir cephalothorax.

DYSDERIDAE F20

[ ] * Various Dysderids are found Tulare Co.,
under stones and in leaflitter, and under oak bark.

PHOLCIDAE F21

[ ] 3. Holocnemus
pluchei (Scopoli), is the common, large ‘Daddy-long legs’ or ‘Cellar
Spiders’ that housewives curse for their ubiquitous webs.Native to the Mediterranean, it entered our area
in the 1970’s.

[ ] 4. Psilochorus sp., also long-legged,
but much smaller spiders than theHolocnemus. Several species may be here,
or other genera in the family. Females in this family all carry their egg
sacs in their ‘mouths’ (chelicera). They usually like cave-like locations;
under stones, abandoned burrows, hollow tree trunks, etc.

[ ] 6. Steatoda
grossa (C.L. Koch). Lighter colored, than the Black Widow, often
with a purplish tint - and with yellowish dots against darkbrown. They share a somewhat similar shape and
habitat to the BlackWidow and are sometimes mistaken for their dangerous
cousins. Instead,they are reported to eat them. Their other favorite
food is pill bugs.Often a pile of pill bug shells can be found
beneath the S. grossa web.

[ ] 7. Theridion
sp. Over two dozen species in this genus live inCalifornia, and several in Tulare Co.

[ ] * Almost certainly our fauna includes various
other small ‘Comb-footed Spiders’ or ‘Cob-web weavers’, such as Achaearanea
sp., and Tidarren sp.

LINYPHIIDAE F26

[ ] * Species such as Eperigone eschatologica
(Crosby), Erigone autumnalis (Emerton) and Grammonota gentilis
(Banks) are found Tulare Co., most easily identified by their webs, which
have platforms, or domes (where they hang upside down), within a large,
seemingly irregular scaffolding, constructed in bushes, trees, or tall
grasses.

[ ] * Cyclosa sp.
This spider uses egg sacs, debris and silk to build astabilimentum (reinforcing strand) top to bottom
at the center of theweb, and then takes advantage of its grey-black
mottled coloring andslightly irregular shape to mimic a piece of
trash amidst the debris.When disturbed, it may shake the web violently,
or drop to the groundbelow. (3.3-7.9mm females, 2.1-4.5mm males, mature
spring and summer)

[ ] 10. Gea heptagon (Hentz), small (4.5-5.8mm
females, 2.4-4.3mm males) orb-weaver found in grasses or ground-cover.
When disturbed, this spider quickly drops from her web.

14. Tetragnatha
laboriosa (Hentz). Many authors consider theTetragnathadae as a separate family, due to their
enormous chelicera(the pair of clamping ‘jaws’ that hold the fangs)
and fangs and theirusual choice of web location: vegetation overhanging
water. Moderatelylong (5.9-9.0mm females, 5.2-10.1mm males), but
narrow bodies allow them to hide huddled to a blade of grass

AGELENIDAE F28 (Funnel-web spiders)

[ ] 15. Hololena
frianta (Chamberlin & Ivie) Very common in densepopulations on foliage, wood piles, or buildings
where cervices allow aprotected retreat. A sheet of web (often with
a heavy layer of dust)leads back to a small tunnel. If disturbed, the
spider will duck outthe back and drop to the ground. Males and females
each about 8mm,adults lasting into November.

[ ] 16. Hololena sp. (not frianta)

LYCOSIDAE F33 (Wolf Spiders)

All of the wolf spiders superficially resemble
the Agelenids, but do notbuild webs. Instead, they wander freely at ground
level, carrying theireggs sacs in their spinnerets, and allowing their
hatchlings to ridepiggy-back on the mother’s abdomen, giving her
the appearance of wearing a heavy fur coat.

[ ] 24. Oxyopes
salticus (Hentz) the ‘Silver Lynx’, mature in spring andsummer, these spiders explore vegetation or sit
in curled leaves,darting to the back side if disturbed. Eight
eyes form a hexagon. Legshave conspicuous spination. Silver with touches
of black; iridescentscales that give it ‘smoother’ look than scalaris.
(4.6-7.4mm females,3.9-5.9mm males)

[ ] * Peucetia sp. the ‘Green Lynx’. Larger
than Oxyopes (11.8-21.6mmfemales, 8.1-14.5mm males), and bright green
with bright red spots andlegs paler green to yellow, it has long legs
with long black spines.Females attach an egg sac to a curled blade of
grass or leaf, two orthree feet above ground, and then cling to the
sac until death bystarvation or cold. Two species (longipalpis
and viridans) occur inTulare Co., both fond of tall grasses (especially
wild buckwheat) inopen fields.

GNAPHOSIDAE F35

All of the Gnaphosids are nocturnal hunters, not
likely to be seen by daytime visitors unless rock or rotting wood are turned
over. Dark colors.

Similar in structure to Gnaphosids, Clubionids
are more likely to beseen during the daytime but still often come
out at night, or stayhidden under rocks, in leaf litter or in foliage.
Often seen indoors.

[ ] 32. Chiracanthium inclusum (Hentz)
tan-colored spider, sometimes tending toward yellow or green or with darker
abdomen, depending on what it feeds upon. Often found exploring vegetation
or in a silk sac curled in a leaf. 4.9-9.7mm females, 4.0-7.7mm males.

[ ] 33.* Chiracanthium
mildei (L Kock), slightly larger than inclusum (7-10mm females,
5.8-8.5mm males), and more commonly seen indoors, this species is responsible
for more spider bites than any other local species, but the bite is not
as dangerous as the Black Widow. Bites tend to swell, redden and be
sore, and may lead to ulceration of the skin.

[ ] 39* Misumena vatia (Clerck). ‘Flower
Spiders’, sit motionless in thecenter of flowers, waiting for insects to land.
May shift from white toyellow, depending on the color of the flowers
they inhabit.

The three identified Misumenops, and others
we may have (California has 18), have the typical crab-spider shape, but
tend to have more obviousspination then our other crab spiders. Color
tends to vary considerablyeven within a single species; background colors
may be pale green, whiteor yellow, with markings of red or occasionally
green. Found in grassor low foliage.

[ ] 42. Misumenops importunus belkini (Schick),
Abdomen white or yellow in the female, brownish in the male. Carapace color
varies, but with a white band down the center. Females about 5.5mm; males
about 3.3mm. Mature as early as January.

The following two Xysticus, and other species
we may have (19 have been found in California) are all similar-looking,
dull colored spiders with the long front legs and short back legs that
give them the crab look. They live on low vegetation, under bark or stones,
occasionally on buildings. They may balloon frequently, for several times
I have seen them outdoors on people's clothing.

[ ] 46. Tibellus
chamberlini, long and skinny (abdomen from two and a half to five
times longer than wide; front legs extra long), with pale coloring. Can
be found in low bushes, but especially like wild grasses, where they rest
clinging to the underside of tall blades.

[ ] 48. Evarcha hoyi (Peckham & Peckham)
Brown mixed with white and yellow scales and black hairs, with a light
transverse band behind the cephalic portion and a herringbone pattern on
the abdomen. Common in tall grass and bushes.4.6-6.3mm females; 4.3-5.5mm
males.

Our two known Habronattus species, plus
others that may be found here(California has 28) show marked differences between
the sexes, but thespecies may be hard to distinguish between each
other. Females haveabdomens markedly larger than cephalothorax,
gray or gray-brown withdull markings. Males have cephalothorax markedly
larger than abdomen,with darker basic colors and sharper, sometimes
even striking markings.Hide in grass but sometimes visible exploring
or sunning themselves onsurfaces near grass. Especially enjoy sitting
on piles of dung.